Abstract
Purpose
We evaluated muscle proton elimination following similar exercise in the same muscle group following two exercise modalities.
Methods
Seven rowers performed handgrip or rowing exercise for ~ 5 min. The intracellular response of the wrist flexor muscles was evaluated by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, while arterial and venous forearm blood was collected.
Results
Rowing and handgrip reduced intracellular pH to 6.3 ± 0.2 and 6.5 ± 0.1, arterial pH to 7.09 ± 0.03 and 7.40 ± 0.03 and venous pH to 6.95 ± 0.06 and 7.20 ± 0.04 (P < 0.05), respectively. Arterial and venous lactate increased to 17.5 ± 1.6 and 20.0 ± 1.6 mM after rowing while only to 2.6 ± 0.8 and 6.8 ± 0.8 mM after handgrip exercise. Arterio-venous concentration difference of bicarbonate and phosphocreatine recovery kinetics (T50% rowing 1.5 ± 0.7 min; handgrip 1.4 ± 1.0 min) was similar following the two exercise modalities. Yet, intramuscular pH recovery in the forearm flexor muscles was 3.5-fold slower after rowing than after handgrip exercise (T50% rowing of 2 ± 0.1 vs. 7 ± 0.3 min for handgrip).
Conclusion
Rowing delays intracellular-pH recovery compared with handgrip exercise most likely because rowing, as opposed to handgrip exercise, increases systemic lactate concentration. Thus the intra-to-extra-cellular lactate gradient is small after rowing. Since this lactate gradient is the main driving force for intracellular lactate removal in muscle and, since pHi normalization is closely related to intracellular lactate removal, rowing results in a slower pHi recovery compared to handgrip exercise.
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Abbreviations
- ANOVA:
-
Analysis of variance
- pHi :
-
Intracellular pH
- 31PMRS:
-
Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
- PCr:
-
Phosphocreatine
- MVC:
-
Maximal voluntary contraction
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Acknowledgements
We thank Ib Terkelsen and Frederik Secher for valuable assistance during data collection.
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BQ contributed the hypothesis of the study. All authors contributed to the design of the study, collection, assembly and interpretation of data. All authors contributed to manuscript writing and approved the final version of the manuscript.
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All procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the University of Copenhagen and Ethical Committee of Copenhagen (H-3-2011-097) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Communicated by Phillip D. Chilibeck.
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Volianitis, S., Secher, N.H. & Quistorff, B. Elevated arterial lactate delays recovery of intracellular muscle pH after exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 118, 2429–2434 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-018-3969-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-018-3969-x